Freed British-Israeli hostage says Starmer not 'on right side of history' over Palestine recognition

A British-Israeli woman who was held hostage by Hamas for more than a year has said Sir Keir Starmer is "not standing on the right side of history" after his conditional pledge to recognise Palestine as a state.

In an Instagram post, Emily Damari said: "Prime Minister Starmer is not standing on the right side of history. Had he been in power during World War II, would he have advocated recognition for Nazi control of occupied countries like Holland, France or Poland?

"This is not diplomacy - it is a moral failure. Shame on you, Prime Minister."

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Ms Damari was taken hostage after being kidnapped from her home on 7 October 2023 by Hamas gunmen who shot her in the hand and leg, as well as killing her pet dog.

She was held by Hamas for 15 months in Gaza and was released on 19 January this year, alongside two fellow female hostages, as part of the opening phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal.

After her release, she told Sir Keir in a phone call she was detained in a United Nations facility but denied medical treatment during her captivity.

She also underwent a series of operations for wounds she suffered on the day she was taken captive, when she was shot in her left hand and right leg at close range, causing her to lose two fingers and leaving her with injuries to her leg that impair her movement.

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The prime minister said on Tuesday the UK will recognise a Palestinian state by September unless Israel takes "substantive steps" to end the situation in Gaza, Israel agrees to a ceasefire, commits to a long-term sustainable peace, allows the UN to restart aid supplies and does not annexe the West Bank.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the move "rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism".

In a statement from Downing Street after an urgent Cabinet meeting on Gaza on Tuesday, Sir Keir said the UK's "message to the terrorists of Hamas is unchanged but unequivocal: they must immediately release all of the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm, and accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza".

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